Cowell's mom says he was difficult child

Simon Cowell's mother has revealed that he was a determined and often difficult child.

Julie Cowell, who raised Simon and his brother Nicolas with her late husband Eric, said that although she is proud of her son's success, she has tried to stop it from going to his head.

Talking about when his career took off, the former dancer told Yours magazine: "I was watching for his feet to come off the ground. And if they did, I would have made sure they came down quickly."

82-year-old Julie continued: "It would only upset me if he really was a nasty person. Simon isn't nasty - he's just honest."

The former dancer added: "I'll tell him if I think he's said the wrong thing to a contestant. I've always insisted on politeness, so when people say how pleasant Simon is, I mutter 'thank goodness'. It means more to me than his television career."